[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"article-detail":3},{"lang":4,"article":5,"alternate":18,"related":23,"latest":32},"en",{"id":6,"slug":7,"title":8,"content":9,"summary":10,"thumbnail":11,"metaDescription":12,"metaKeywords":12,"created":13,"modified":13,"author":14,"authorEn":14,"categoryId":15,"commentCount":16,"thumbnailToContent":17},12671,"honey-regurgitation-foods-xqmp","Is Honey Bee Vomit? The Sweet, Gross Truth","\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">About 8,000 years ago, humans were already climbing rope ladders to steal \u003Cstrong>honey\u003C\u002Fstrong> from wild hives. For a very long time, honey was one of the few sweet things our ancestors had.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">It was more than food. Ancient Egyptians used honey as medicine — including treatments for hemorrhoids and other rectal complaints, as recorded in the Ebers Papyrus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">Sound unappetizing? Wait until you hear how honey is actually made.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2 style=\"color:#111;font-size:21px;line-height:1.4;margin:28px 0 12px;\">\u003Cstrong>Honey: The Bee Regurgitation Workflow\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">\u003Cimg src=\"\u002Fattachment\u002F20261001\u002F838ee7f5999b4380a607f45bdd387e82.webp\" alt=\"Two honey bees resting on a honeycomb, wax cells and wings visible in detail\">\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">Here is the old rumor first: honey comes from pollen. It does not. Pollen is the bees' protein snack, not the raw material. The real ingredient is nectar — the sweet liquid a plant makes and offers to pollinators.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">A worker bee sucks nectar up through its mouthparts and stores it in a special pouch at the front of its abdomen: the honey stomach. That is not where digestion happens — it is a transport tank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">Back at the hive, the forager regurgitates the nectar, mouth to mouth, into the mouth of a receiver bee. The nectar moves back and forth between honey stomach and mouth, and with every pass, enzymes in the bees' bodies break sucrose down into glucose and fructose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">One bee's enzymes are not enough for the job — so the nectar is passed, vomited, and re-vomited through many bees before it is finally spat into a cell of the comb. A single worker bee, across its whole life, produces about one teaspoon of honey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2 style=\"color:#111;font-size:21px;line-height:1.4;margin:28px 0 12px;\">\u003Cstrong>The Dehydration Machine\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">The other half of the recipe is drying. Moisture starts leaving the nectar even before the forager lands back at the hive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">Once the partially finished honey is stored in the comb, house bees fan their wings over it in synchronized waves, driving moisture down fast. Stand two or three feet from a hive in this phase and you can hear the hum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">When the water content falls low enough for long-term storage, the bees seal each cell with a wax cap. That is the moment the honey is ready — and the moment we humans show up to steal it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2 style=\"color:#111;font-size:21px;line-height:1.4;margin:28px 0 12px;\">\u003Cstrong>Nectar Is Not the Only Ingredient\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">\u003Cimg src=\"\u002Fattachment\u002F20261001\u002F1b09e14469b24271bd73512390022521.webp\" alt=\"Illustration of a honey bee sipping nectar from a yellow flower with its proboscis\">\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">Normally, honey starts from nectar. \"Normally\" is doing a lot of work in that sentence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">Honeydew honey is the exception. Its raw material is not plant nectar at all, but the sugary excretion of aphids and scale insects. These insects pierce plant stems, drink the sap, and push the excess sugar out through their anus as glistening drops of \"honeydew.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">Ants line up to collect those drops, and honey bees do too — turning insect waste into another kind of honey. The process is just as unglamorous as the nectar route.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2 style=\"color:#111;font-size:21px;line-height:1.4;margin:28px 0 12px;\">\u003Cstrong>The Same Trick, Repeated Across the Menu\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">If honey is bee regurgitation, what else have we been cheerfully eating?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">Bird's nest soup is first. It is built from the hardened saliva of swiftlets (genus \u003Ci>Collocalia\u003C\u002Fi>), which they use to glue their nests to cave walls. Harvest, clean, soak — and the result is a luxury soup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">Then there is civet coffee, or kopi luwak: coffee beans eaten and excreted by palm civets, then collected from the droppings. The journey through the digestive tract reportedly changes the beans' surface structure, protein composition, and aroma profile. Thailand's version, Black Ivory coffee, runs the same beans through elephants instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">China has its own entry: insect tea. In parts of Hunan, Guizhou, and Guangxi, the droppings of moth larvae that feed on selected plant leaves are collected, dried, and brewed — a traditional \"cooling\" drink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">\u003Cimg src=\"\u002Fattachment\u002F20261001\u002F738e7423b1974ed69632b968194dcc03.webp\" alt=\"Illustration of an ant collecting a honeydew drop from an aphid on a plant stem\">\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">Some insect products are hiding in plain sight. The shiny coating on candy and chocolate? That is shellac, a secretion of the lac bug — not, thank goodness, a bug-dropping glaze. And ambergris, the \"floating gold\" of perfume, forms in the gut of sperm whales and only smells sweet after years of oxidation in seawater.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">Maybe curiosity is not always good for the appetite. If you have tasted any of these delicacies, feel free to share your experience — the grosser, the better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">Want to see how an insect's mouthparts really work under a microscope? \u003Cstrong>WWAI\u003C\u002Fstrong> is an AI-powered biology encyclopedia that answers your biology questions instantly, from insect anatomy to food science, and lets you observe real microscope slide specimens online — including a \u003Cstrong>Culex mosquito specimen\u003C\u002Fstrong> where segmented bodies, wing veins, and a piercing mouthpart are clearly visible, the perfect comparison for a bee's nectar-sipping mouthparts. Just search \"WWAI\" in your app store and download it today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cdiv class=\"dp-template-card\" style=\"border-radius:8px;box-shadow:0 2px 8px rgba(0,0,0,0.1);margin:10px 0;max-width:100%;overflow:hidden;width:100%;\">\n \u003Ca style=\"display:block;text-decoration:none;\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fyun-hub.chat\u002Flink\u002F?app=wwai&clickid=stellarx&dplink=specimenid%3D1076\" target=\"_blank\">\u003Cimg class=\"image_resized\" style=\"display:block;height:auto;max-width:100%;width:100%;\" src=\"\u002Fattachment\u002F20260824\u002F5ba5dd3c38404fe785f43c44423830de.png\" alt=\"5ba5dd3c38404fe785f43c44423830de\">\n  \u003Cbutton style=\"align-items:center;background-color:#1f983e;border-radius:0 0 25px 25px;border-style:none;color:#ffffff;cursor:pointer;display:flex;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:19px;height:40px;justify-content:center;padding:0;width:100%;\">EXPLORE NOW\u003C\u002Fbutton>\u003C\u002Fa>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\u003Cp style=\"color:#111;margin:28px 0 8px;\">\u003Cstrong>Related reading\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 20px;\">\u003Ca style=\"color:#111;text-decoration:none;\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fstellarx.tech\u002Farticle\u002Fwhy-some-apples-are-crisp-and-others-soft2\">\u003Cimg class=\"image_resized\" style=\"border-radius:8px;display:block;height:auto;margin-bottom:6px;max-width:520px;width:100%;\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.banyunjuhe.com\u002Fattachment\u002F20260924\u002F7fe87272e4d54f73806a44442ddb4042.png\" alt=\"Do Apples Have to Be Crisp to Taste Good? Why Are Some Apple…\">\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cbr>\u003Ca style=\"color:#0b6cb0;text-decoration:none;\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fstellarx.tech\u002Farticle\u002Fwhy-some-apples-are-crisp-and-others-soft2\">\u003Cstrong>Do Apples Have to Be Crisp to Taste Good? Why Are Some Apple…\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 20px;\">\u003Ca style=\"color:#111;text-decoration:none;\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fstellarx.tech\u002Farticle\u002Fwhy-yam-and-okra-are-slimy2\">\u003Cimg class=\"image_resized\" style=\"border-radius:8px;display:block;height:auto;margin-bottom:6px;max-width:520px;width:100%;\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.banyunjuhe.com\u002Fattachment\u002F20260922\u002F2cd264976de54660a9dabb8040b362c1.png\" alt=\"Why Are Yams and Okra So Slimy? What Is That Sticky Mucilage…\">\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cbr>\u003Ca style=\"color:#0b6cb0;text-decoration:none;\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fstellarx.tech\u002Farticle\u002Fwhy-yam-and-okra-are-slimy2\">\u003Cstrong>Why Are Yams and Okra So Slimy? What Is That Sticky Mucilage…\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"margin:0 0 20px;\">\u003Ca style=\"color:#111;text-decoration:none;\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fstellarx.tech\u002Farticle\u002Fhow-to-choose-a-good-apple2\">\u003Cimg class=\"image_resized\" style=\"border-radius:8px;display:block;height:auto;margin-bottom:6px;max-width:520px;width:100%;\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.banyunjuhe.com\u002Fattachment\u002F20260920\u002F452e3982a54a4f2682dd0c8a5795a8f4.png\" alt=\"Are Redder Apples Really Sweeter? Don’t Judge an Apple by Co…\">\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cbr>\u003Ca style=\"color:#0b6cb0;text-decoration:none;\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fstellarx.tech\u002Farticle\u002Fhow-to-choose-a-good-apple2\">\u003Cstrong>Are Redder Apples Really Sweeter? Don’t Judge an Apple by Co…\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"color:#8a8a8a;font-size:13px;margin:0 0 10px;\">\u003Ci>References:\u003C\u002Fi>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"color:#8a8a8a;font-size:13px;margin:0 0 6px;\">\u003Ci>[1] Dams M, Dams L. \"Spanish rock art depicting honey gathering during the Mesolithic.\" Nature, 1977, 268: 228-230. https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.1038\u002F268228a0\u003C\u002Fi>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"color:#8a8a8a;font-size:13px;margin:0 0 6px;\">\u003Ci>[2] The Ebers Papyrus (English translation), Saxon Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Leipzig. https:\u002F\u002Fsae.saw-leipzig.de\u002Fen\u002Fdocuments\u002Fpapyrus-ebers\u003C\u002Fi>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"color:#8a8a8a;font-size:13px;margin:0 0 6px;\">\u003Ci>[3] FAO\u002FWHO Codex Alimentarius Commission. Standard for Honey (CXS 12-1981), Rome: FAO\u002FWHO, 2022. https:\u002F\u002Fwww.fao.org\u002Ffao-who-codexalimentarius\u002Fsh-proxy\u002Fen\u002F?lnk=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fworkspace.fao.org%2Fsites%2Fcodex%2FStandards%2FCXS%2B12-1981%2FCXS_012e.pdf\u003C\u002Fi>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"color:#8a8a8a;font-size:13px;margin:0 0 6px;\">\u003Ci>[4] Nicolson S W, Human H, Pirk C W W. \"Honey bees save energy in honey processing by dehydrating nectar before returning to the nest.\" Scientific Reports, 2022, 12: 16224. https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.1038\u002Fs41598-022-20626-5\u003C\u002Fi>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"color:#8a8a8a;font-size:13px;margin:0 0 6px;\">\u003Ci>[5] Swears R M, Manley-Harris M. \"Composition and potential as a prebiotic functional food of a Giant Willow Aphid honeydew honey produced in New Zealand.\" Food Chemistry, 2021, 345: 128662. https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.1016\u002Fj.foodchem.2020.128662\u003C\u002Fi>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"color:#8a8a8a;font-size:13px;margin:0 0 6px;\">\u003Ci>[6] Looi Q H, Amin H, Aini I, et al. \"De novo transcriptome analysis of the salivary glands of edible bird's nest producing swiftlets.\" BMC Genomics, 2017, 18: 504. https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.1186\u002Fs12864-017-3861-9\u003C\u002Fi>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"color:#8a8a8a;font-size:13px;margin:0 0 6px;\">\u003Ci>[7] Marcone M F. \"Composition and properties of Indonesian palm civet coffee (Kopi Luwak) and Ethiopian civet coffee.\" Food Research International, 2004, 37(9): 901-912. https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.1016\u002Fj.foodres.2004.05.008\u003C\u002Fi>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"color:#8a8a8a;font-size:13px;margin:0 0 6px;\">\u003Ci>[8] Clarke R. \"The origin of ambergris.\" Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals, 2006, 5(1): 7-21. https:\u002F\u002Flajamjournal.org\u002Findex.php\u002Flajam\u002Farticle\u002Fdownload\u002F231\u002F183\u002F183\u003C\u002Fi>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp style=\"color:#8a8a8a;font-size:13px;margin:0 0 6px;\">\u003Ci>[9] All illustrations are AI-generated.\u003C\u002Fi>\u003C\u002Fp>","","\u002Fattachment\u002F20261001\u002Fbee9abc00cc2486dba6c44752d7b104f.webp","Honey is regurgitation: bees pass nectar mouth-to-mouth, then fan it dry. From honeydew to civet coffee, meet the gross side of delicacies.","2026-10-01 14:49:04","Science Guide Wwai",77,0,false,{"id":19,"slug":20,"title":21,"lang":22},12665,"hong-kong-milk-tea-vs-bubble-tea","港式奶茶為什麼這麼苦？「絲襪奶茶」和珍珠奶茶到底有什麼不同？","zh",{"prev":24,"next":28},{"id":25,"slug":26,"title":27,"categoryId":15},12672,"anticipatory-homeostasis-xjqk","Anticipatory Homeostasis: Your Body Knows Before You Do",{"id":29,"slug":30,"title":31,"categoryId":15},12670,"fall-webworm-biocontrol-xkqm","Fall Webworm Control: Beijing's 11-Billion Tiny Wasp Army",[33,38,43,48],{"id":34,"slug":35,"title":36,"thumbnail":37,"categoryId":15},12685,"food-adulteration-history-bwxa","Ancient Food Was Never Pure: Urine, Lye, and Fake Fish","\u002Fattachment\u002F20261001\u002F03bbfa285e6545d6b3144a2fb3e790f9.webp",{"id":39,"slug":40,"title":41,"thumbnail":42,"categoryId":15},12684,"glowing-algae-story-zptc","When Lockdown Laziness Grew Glowing Algae","\u002Fattachment\u002F20261001\u002F2915a99ca6dd44bb99d4131bc2f639b5.webp",{"id":44,"slug":45,"title":46,"thumbnail":47,"categoryId":15},12683,"alpha-gal-syndrome-gmht","Why a Tick Bite Can Make You Allergic to Red Meat","\u002Fattachment\u002F20261001\u002Faa24a6f7e36b4b2fb5b8a0f6c3bfd1d8.webp",{"id":49,"slug":50,"title":51,"thumbnail":52,"categoryId":15},12682,"centipede-leg-count-comparison-lqzv","Who Has More Legs: House Centipede or Centipede?","\u002Fattachment\u002F20261001\u002Fb139d5c1b20648f39e4eca5fb29ac3f2.webp"]